Your complete guide to IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn

IHG One Rewards is the loyalty program for the International Hotel Group family of hotels, which includes brands like Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts and the trendy Hotel Indigo family of boutique hotels. This program can be incredibly rewarding to join since you get the chance to earn points for free hotel nights at more than 6,000 properties around the globe.

However, you should know that you don’t have to stay with IHG properties to earn points. An alternative way to rack up rewards in this program involves utilizing IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn, which offers rewards when you dine at participating restaurants.

If you’re ready to boost your earnings and score more free hotel nights, read on to learn how IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn works and how you can get started.

What is IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn

IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn works similarly to other dining programs in that it lets you earn points when you sign up then dine at participating restaurants. You can even start off by earning 1,000 bonus points when you spend $30 dining at a participating restaurant and leave an online review within your first 30 days of membership.

From there, the number of points you’ll earn in this program depends on your level of membership. For example:

• Basic members earn 1 IHG Rewards Club point for each dollar they spend at participating eateries, provided they decide not to subscribe to email communications from the program.
• Select members earn 5 points for each dollar they spend, and you can reach this tier by electing to receive email communications from IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn.
• VIP members earn 8 points for each dollar they spend, and you can reach this tier by electing to receive electronic communication and dining out 11 times in the program within a calendar year.

How to sign up

To get started with this program, all you have to do is head to the IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn program website. Once there, you’ll click on the button that says “Join Now.”

At this point in the process, you can join the program by offering up your name, your email address and your IHG One Rewards membership number. You’ll also create a password for your dining rewards account.

Note that you do have to be a member of IHG One Rewards to join the dining program. Fortunately, this program is also free to join and easy to sign up for.

If you’re not a member of the IHG One Rewards already, you can join this loyalty program here. Once you’ve signed up, you simply use your enrolled credit card at eligible restaurants, and any resulting rewards will be automatically added to your account.

How much are points worth?

Points in the IHG One Rewards program are worth an average of 0.7 cents each, according to Bankrate’s latest points and miles valuation. However, it’s possible to get a higher or lower value for your points depending on how you redeem them. This estimate takes into account award redemptions for high-end IHG properties that can offer an excellent per-point value, as well as redemption values for properties like Holiday Inn Express, which may be on the lower end.

While IHG One Rewards points are not worth as much as rewards in some other programs, keep in mind that these points are easy to earn. If you sign up for the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card*, for example, you can earn up to 26X points total per dollar spent at IHG hotels.

How to earn and redeem points

There are numerous ways to earn points in the IHG One Rewards program, including with paid hotel stays or with IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn. Other ways to earn points include:

• Making a restaurant reservation through OpenTable and linking your account
• Booking travel with IHG hotel or rental car partners
• Taking advantage of special promotions
• Spending with a co-branded IHG One Rewards credit card

When it comes to redeeming points in the IHG Rewards Club program, you can choose from the following:

• Cashing in your points for stays at more than 6,000 IHG properties worldwide
• Merchandise through IHG
• Gift cards
• Redeeming points for experiences like concerts or sporting events
• Digital rewards, including ebooks, games and music
• Magazine subscriptions
• Donate your points to charity
• Turn your points into airline miles with select partners

Best cards for IHG Dining

Savvy shoppers know the way to ramp up the rewards when you eat out is by stacking your points with one of the best dining rewards credit cards.

The IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn program makes it easy because you’ll have to link a credit card or debit card from any issuer when you sign up. You can link up to five additional cards later on, giving you lots of flexibility. Note, however, that you may only be able to add each of your individual cards to a single dining program, so you may need to strategize around which card you’ll use with each program you want to participate in.

With that in mind, which are the best dining rewards credit cards to link to the IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn program? We recommend the following:

IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card

The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card can be a smart choice for the IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn program if you really want to rack up rewards for hotel stays with the IHG brand. Because you earn points with the card’s loyalty program and with IHG dining, you’re essentially double dipping if you link this card. Here are the main card details you should know about:

• Earn 140,000 Bonus Points after spending $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Earn up to 26X points total on paid IHG stays
• Earn 5X points on travel, dining and gas station purchases and 3X points on all other purchases
• Anniversary night on your cardmember anniversary (up to 40,000 points)
• Fee credit toward Global Entry or TSA Precheck every four years
• Annual fee: $99

Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card* may be one of the best dining rewards credit cards of the year, although this is also a solid grocery store card as well. Consider the card’s bonus offer and the following earning rates before you apply:

• Earn $300 cash back if you spend $3,000 in the first three months of account opening
• Earn 4 percent cash back on dining, entertainment and popular streaming services
• Earn 3 percent cash back on grocery store purchases and 1 percent everywhere else
• Annual fee: $95

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

The Chase Freedom Unlimited® is a popular cash back credit card that offers exceptional rewards on dining and in other important categories. Here are the main card details to consider as you weigh your options:

• Earn an additional 1.5 percent cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year)
• Earn 5 percent back on Lyft rides through March 2025, and 5 percent back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
• Earn 3 percent cash back on dining and drugstore purchases and 1.5 percent back on other spending
• $0 annual fee

The bottom line

If you are an IHG One Rewards member and you’re looking for ways to earn points faster, the IHG One Rewards Dine & Earn program is a free and easy way to do it.

For the biggest benefit, link one of the best dining rewards credit cards to the program to increase your earnings, whether you’re at home or enjoying a getaway at an IHG hotel.

Issuer-required disclosure statement:

*The information about the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card and the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by Bankrate. The card details have not been reviewed or approved by the issuer.